The sheer number of comments at the main post ‘So I Won’t Be A Commission Official‘ has been causing problems, so all the old comments are here instead, and hence searchable.
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Congrats Florian, we are still waiting the results …. Good luck!
Shame I can’t find out, but anyway I can guess:
Probably 51% in V&N and high passes in the rest 😉
Does anyone know how we can find out which exact
positions will become available in order to do some lobbying?
No, the exact exam mark is of no use to the Institutions.
OMG!
I made it, too.
I can’t believe it.
They don”t give the exact test results though.
Shame, because I was curious about that, too
and I guess it will still matter for the ranking of
prferred candidates for each position just how
many points a certain candidate got.
Good luck to everyone else.
Florian
RELEX results are in!
I made it! Woohoo!
I have a question by the way : since I passed the FGIII test, is it better for me to just and wait or should I send my resume, and if so, to whom? DG RELEX or the delegation i’m interested in?
Thanks!
@ Joe
You are right, it was a generic AST position, for Romanians.
@Sebastian
I have the feeling that things are worse for the FGIV. It seems that most of the offers are for Secretaries, Financial Assitants….I am from the EU 12 but I don’t feel so optimistic from what I read around. Have you tried to lobby?
@ miriana:
So far nothing. But I read somewhere that already approx. 20 % of the list have been recruited, so I guess, patience is the name of the game. If you are EU-12, I reckon your chances of being recruited speedily are somewhat higher though.
I’m on an AD reserve list since six months.
No employment offer sofar, no interview, not even the slightest sign of interest on the part of the institutions. The chances are… bad.
@Sebastian
You successfully passed AD competition. Have you got any employment/interview offer?…so we can get an idea of what are the chances…
Good luck to all the Relex people! I feel so sorry for you not having your results yet – but not long now! All the best to all of you!
Florian,
I don’t know. I just cam across the message on EPSO’s page which has been in the meantime removed.
But if you have a look at the other statistics, you see that over 70 % passed. In comparison with a “real” concours with pass artes way below 5 %, this is extremely high.
I seriously cannot understand the idea behind those casts. I successfully participated in CAST 25, obviously to no avail so far.
Aha, so then probably over 5000 actually took the test, making the 2700 succesful ones a pass rate of around 50%.
I am personally worried only about the V&N test since I had assumed different conditions when practicing for it (i.e. 55 minutes not 50 minutes and these missing 5 minutes meant that I had to guess the last 2-3 questions) plus I had even failed the last practice test I did.
As for the message being withdrawn, it must have been a reaction to Maria’s and mine and others’ contacting of EPSO about missing results. I do expect the messages and the results back any moment though. Hopefully…
…Seems like they have just taken their message (regarding RELEX results and their publication) off the EPSO website…
For RELEX were 7570 applications in the very beginning.
@ Corina
@ Daniel
As a CAST 25 FG IV Translation laureate (and notwithstanding the inventiveness of EPSO) I can assure you that the exam will consist just of a translation – the essay being intended just for the Scientific Adviser.
@ Corina
What do you mean, a friend of yours had an AST exam for Translator? Translators are only at AD level, aren’t they?
@ Sebastian,
yes? 2700 is almost everybody? How many people applied and were admitted to tests? I found these kind of statistics only for non RELEX profiles.
Best,
Florian
@ Corina
I thought the essay was for the Scientific adviser and the passage for the translators…now I am doubting a bit as well because as you say it is not very clear…
maybe when we get further information this will be solved?
From the EPSO page:
Candidates for RELEX positions have been informed of their results in the tests, via their EPSO profile, on Wednesday 24 October.
The publication of results took longer than expected, as – further to concerns raised by some candidates – EPSO decided in agreement and close co-operation with the concerned Directorate Generals (external relations and administration) to proceed again to an overall review of test content in order to ensure high quality, suitability of questions and equal level of difficulty throughout all specific profiles of the same function group.
As a consequence of this review, there are now about 2700 successful candidates in the 16 profiles (5 in Function group III and 11 in Function group IV) needed in Delegations outside the EU.
Looks like more or less everyone passed.
Good luck in finding a job, I am sure there are plenty available.
Ah, what a relief not to be the only one… …I am currently waiting in the EPSO phone queue – if I manage to get through I’ll post if I get any clearer info (though I guess we are not alone, they probably have thousands of frustrated candidates trying to contact them at the moment)
Hi Maria,
I have the same problem.
Says on the EN and FR news page that the results were out yesterday, but nothing on the DE news page and no actual results in my email or on the EPSO profile.
Just tried to contact them by phone, but after 10 minutes
there is still nobody on the line for me, so I guess we have
to wait a bit more…
Has anybody gotten their RELEX results? On the EPSO site it says that candidates have been informed – I have seen nothing, neither yes or no…
Hi, I am wondering if there are not both exams (essay and passage translated) for both positions (Scientific Adviser and Translator). It’s not very clear, there is no separation between… And a friend of mine had an AST exam for Translator, in summer, consisting in both of them. What do you think?
@Daniel, thanks. I guess that’s a competence follow-up portion. For ICT we have already had that as part of the test (unless I am missing something).
@ breach
i also got the mail, this is an except of the letter concerning the type of exams and the profiles in FG IV:
Scientific Adviser – all specialisations (FG IV) Essay-style
Translator (FG IV) -Passage of text written in second language (DE, EN or FR) to be translated without a dictionary into main language
Friday 14th December 2007
@Sasha, well… I didn’t :-] What does it say, maybe it concerns certain profiles only…? I’m FG IV, ICT Adviser
Hia everyone, check your EPSO profiles, if you are doing CAST27. Just got a message re: the FGIV competence test.
Basile,
1 year, since last October. No assignment to any institution so far. 🙁
Sophie,
since when have you been in the reserve list? just out of curiosity…
@miriana
As far I know, it’s an everyday practice for getting a job (and for many other things in the EU..).
@Sophie
Is it allowed to lobby for these jobs?
Dorina, thank you for the info!
I am also on a reserve list AD/5 for translators. I am not assigned yet to any institution
and EPSO says I won’t be till January (and maybe later, either…).
EPSO says, the assigment would be the condition that I could be called for interviews.
I have some questions, maybe someone has an answer:
– there is no possibility for me really to be called for an interview to any institution? It is not worth lobbying then?
– is it possible, that I could get a job – not as a translator but based on this list? (and I am not assigned to any institution…)
Thank you in advance.
@ft
I found once that Excel calculator file, with the net salaries, and it was very interesting and helpful. Unfortunately, I never found it again after that! Can anyone send it to me at anagno@epp.teiher.gr?
Just got an e-mail proposing an interview too. The job description shared with me is not precise enough to judge whether I’d be interested or not, but I have to say that the proposal was very professional with a comprehensive e-mail including organigrams of the DG, an Excel calculator for Contract Agents potential net salaries and the job description. I am a firm believer in talking to people and being transparent. What I will apply to myself is going to the interview with the head of unit, ask the relevant questions before deciding whether or not I want this job. As Christos points out, I do not want to wait a too advanced stage in the process to say no if I have to say no. So my motto is: go to the interview since this is an opportunity to present yourself and start up a small network within EU institutions, listen, learn before deciding too early in any direction.
@ Christos
Dear Christos,
my intention was only to explain that an interview do not mean that you have a certain position, but only that you are a possible candidate.
I agree with you that to say “No, thanks” to the end means also to create problems for your future in the commission, and personally I have never done it (and I was discouraged to do it), anyway personally I prefer to loose a candidate at the last step of the recruitment procedure, instead to have an demotivated person in my office.
Another point (I think could be a good point for a EU internal discussion) is why in the last period (12-24 months) is so difficult to find good candidates and good candidates many times refuse. We had the same discussion with other EU colleagues, and all had the same feeling. It is difficult to write a profile and it is impossibile to find a candidate who fits perfectly with the requirements. Are the profiles wrong or is the recruitment process which have some problems?
Anyway thanks a lot for your point.
Have a nice day.
Stefano
@Oscar
You are a GIS guy, but what is the job you were offered about?
Dear all,
Thank you for your comments. At this moment I’m just wondering if I really would take the job if offered.
I think this is just a matter of public money and opportunities. If I knew in advance that I don’t want the job, then I won’t attend the interview. That means saving some public funds (that come from our taxes), and maybe giving the chance to other one.
And of course saving one day of paid holidays 😉
But I’m still making the decission.
Best,
Oscar
PS: by the way, yes, I’m a GIS guy.
@Oscar Gomez
My colleague-to-be, please think twice before adopting blindly the lines proposed by Stefano.
With all respect to Stefano, I can only say that the Institutions is a small world and people tend to remember phases and situtations.
Since some of the options are controversial (although technically feasibly) I would certainly give them a third and fourth thought.
My advice for the day is: Do not do to others, what you do not want other to do to you.
However, it’s a free wrold and the choice is definitively yours 😉
@Oscar
Good news Oscar! Let the game begin! I think you are GIS specialist. How about the job? Is it GIS related? Best wishes!!!
Kostas
@Oscar
Oscar, before you get the position it will pass a lot of time and you can always say “NO, THANKS!”.
If you don’t go for the interview, anyway you are into the reserve list.
If you accept the position and you also the first in the list of the last three candidates, you must pass:
1 – Receive and confirm the intent letter (you can refuse at this stage);
2 – Pass the Medical Examination (and you can simply avoid to go if you do not want the position);
3 – You can refuse when you receive the confirmation letter (you have 14 days and you can do it via E-Mail.
Now, in this case you don’t loose the right to be in the reserve list.
So, just think what is better for you, and if you have time, take the time to fly to the interview, just to hear about what they have to say.
Probably if the profile is not the one you can expect, they can help you to find a better position or they can adjust the profile after the interview.
Remember always that flexibility (from both sides) is a good thing.
Good luck.
Stefano
great book!!!! but I am getting sick of EU decisions behind closed doors!
If you want a fun but informative introduction to the workings of the European institutions, then get a copy of “Life of a European Mandarin” by Derk-Jan Eppink.
A friend passed it on with a smile. It is definitely something to smile about: The author writes with a rare sense of humor. Above all it is full of insights as to how the Byzantine European bureaucracy actually works.
In short, it is a brilliant introduction to EU politics….and law-making.
Eppink tells how he discovered that the essential thing for a European official is to learn the procedures.
“Because once you know how the procedures work, you can start to manipulate the process. I arrived in 1984 as a Calvinist, I’m leaving in 2007 as a Jesuit”,
Eppink said, referring to the differences between the principle-driven approach of the protestant Dutch and the devious conspiracies which are sometimes attributed to the catholic order of the Jesuits.
http://eubookshop.com/1/242
Oscar,
I know from a friend that passed CAST25: if you refuse a job, you are still on the reserve list and can get other invitations for interviews.
I don´t know what happens once you accept an offer.
Best,
Sorina
PLEASE HELP:
I passed the ICT – FGIII CAST27 test.
Now I have been informally contacted by the EC just to check if I would be interested or not in participating in one interview. But I’m not sure if I like the job; they have sent me a description of the job, and there is a high probability that I won’t go for that position.
My question is:
– What happens if, after being selected, you decide not to take the job. Are you removed from CAST27? (I don’t think so)
– What happens if you take the job. Will you be contacted for other positions within CAST27? Or you are not on the list of eligible candidates anymore?
Best,
Oscar
Well, it seems the deadline for CV-s has extended so that everyone can get the results.
Stefano, thanks.
Sorina
@Sorina
Dear Sorina,
I think I have been the last one to pass the Medical Examination. Basically (as described in the Personnel Regulation), the medical examination is just a way to check if you are able to perform the tasks. On case of chronic disease you must just declare it and the medical officer will ask you how much it affects your life. He/she well know what will be the effects-
Remember the rule: there is no way to discriminate people for health if they are able to perform the tasks.
It basically means that if you are an HIV positive, until you are not in a terminal status (not able to seat and to stay in an office), you can work for the Commission.
So, if you have diabetes or other chronic diseases, don’t worry, the medical examination is there just to check your general status. No one can discriminate you. The medical officers will explain it to you, anyway.
In every case you receive the results via e-mail if something is wrong.
HTH
Good luck.
Stefano
This doesn’t concern me, but I guess it may concern some of the blog’s readers:
Brussels, 18 October 2007
The Directorate General for External Relations (DG RELEX) has asked us to inform successful candidates in CAST27 – for the profile of Secretary in Function group II – that they are looking for candidates to fill vacancies in the Commission Delegations ( principally outside the European Union). Any interested candidates who have not yet indicated their willingness to be considered also for these posts (as well as those European countries/cities already selected) may still do so by adding ‘Relex Delegations/External service’ in the Workplace section of their electronic CV. Candidates should do so by 22 October 2007, midnight Brussels time, as indicated below.
(Personally, I consider giving people a deadline of total a weekend + 1 day a bit unprofessional)
Kostas,
Should be in Technical Skills.
I am trying to complete my CAST27 CV. I am an IT officer, attending the group FGIII. Does anyone in which field we should write about our IT knowledge? In PERSONAL SKILLS AND COMPETENCES, or in TECHNICAL SKILLS AND COMPETENCES?
Hi everybody.
Jon, thanks for the blog! It is very interesting.
I have a question. Are medical tests a reason to disqualify you? What happens if, for example, somebody has a chronic disease?
By the way, I passed the competition AD/47/06 for Economists. If somebody has some questions about my experience, please go ahead.
Sorina